


smile like the sun, kisses for real

by aethelse



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, M/M, Nymphs & Dryads, mark is mad whipped, mark's dad is a trader, nymph!donghyuck, ten is a merchant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 15:58:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17083328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aethelse/pseuds/aethelse
Summary: mark encounters a boy with hair like sunbeams and skin like honey, and if mark didn't believe in the gods before, he sure as hell does now.





	1. first encounters

**Author's Note:**

> feedback is really appreciated, as in if i get positive feedback i'll continue this lol! this is my first publication so im nervous! also i highly recommend you listen to fleet foxes while reading, particularly their song the shrine/an argument. this is kinda silly i just love greek mythology and nct so . enjoy this self indulgent mess!!

mark is following the dirt path through the grove when he first sees him. standing naked, facing the creek: a boy with hair as golden as apollo’s sunbeams and a face crafted by the goddess of beauty herself. a twig breaks under mark’s sandal and the boy’s head swings around, and not a second later he vanishes. mark swears he burst into light and melia blossoms, but doesn’t speak of the strange occurrence. for a full cycle of the moon mark is left wonderstruck and in a state of bewilderment.   
during his music lessons, his mind is clouded by the babbling of the brook. while practicing with his sword and bow, he slacks because his conscious is left in the grove. when learning to read and write, a luxury his father pays so much for, he absentmindedly wanders back to that moment he has re-lived countless times in his head. he dreams of the boy with the golden hair.  
mark is returning from delphi the second time he sees him. the long trip has left him weary with exhaustion, but his fatigue is forgotten when he catches a glimpse of the mysterious figure between the trees. leaving the carriage behind, he sprints barefoot into the mess of moss and bush after the mop of bright hair. the wood thickens and still mark runs into the dim forest, his linen chiton catching on branches and his uncovered feet being pierced through the forest carpet. he breaks into a glade bathed in light and mist, insects buzzing by his ears. there is no one to be found in the open.   
“reveal yourself, ghost!” he calls. “your image has haunted me since i first caught sight of you by the brook. i will not cease to chase after you until you cease to run!”   
he is met with silence. he stalls for several moments before emitting an indignant huff and stomping noisily back through the thicket. in his bed that night, the aching in his feet fuels his anger. damn you, spirit, and damn the god who created you. as the moon shines on his face, he even curses artemis for the light that keeps him awake in his state of turmoil.   
the very next day mark wakes up at first light. he gathers a bag of fruits, bread, and wine, and straps his short sword to his waist. on his way out he stops by his homemade shrine, asking fortuna to bring him luck on his expedition.  
the cool of dawn envelopes him, fog dancing carelessly at his feet. wisps of mist curl up and touch the hem of his wool himation before he breaks out into a run towards the woods, giddy with excitement; his shadow struggles to keep up with his deer-like leaps over bushes and stumps of cypress trees.   
twigs and rocks under his leather boots tell him he has reached the woods if his eyes should fail him. following the path that first led him to catch sight of the apparition, he treads lightly for fear of scaring his target away.   
he comes upon the brook, and there is the captor of his thoughts. again the stranger has his bare back to mark. on the crown of his head atop the mess of honey tinted hair sits a laurel woven of vines and wildflowers. the tanned expanse of his back almost glows in the beam of sunlight peeking through the trees. mark’s breath hitches in his throat; the boy crouches by the water and pokes his finger in. tadpoles gather near his fingertip and pondweed blooms toward his hand.   
“i know you’re there,” the stranger says quietly, and much to mark’s surprise; he was sure he had tread as silently as the breeze.  
taking in a great gulp of air, mark puffs up his chest and says, “then turn and face me.”  
slowly, the other boy rises to his feet; mark’s hands are damp and shaking. the stranger turns to mark facing the ground. unhurriedly, he raises his head to meet eyes with mark, the crickets singing all the while.   
mark is met with the most breathtaking sight, he thinks, in all of history. beneath the gold-spun bangs are round, sparkling eyes - the color of amber and bronze and the nectar of the gods - accompanied by a wide, soft button nose and plump round lips tinted rose.   
“my god,” he mutters, lungs filled with syrup and flowers.   
the other looks defensive at this quiet utterance.   
“what is it, mortal?” he spits.  
mark’s words pour from the well of emotion that has been stewing in all those hours his head haunted him with visions of the specter.   
“should my eyes deceive me or have i laid eyes upon helen of troy? in all my travels i have never seen a soul that can match your beauty. i pray, tell me where you come from.”  
the boy’s cheeks flush with embarrassment and flattery and mark’s stomach floods with warmth.  
after a moment he takes a shaky breath. “i- i come from the hands of the gods,”  
“a god? a demigod? a siren lost at land? a cherub?” mark pries excitedly.  
“i am a nymph, of course. a nymph of the forest.”  
the nymph detects the confusion on mark’s face.  
“what troubles you?” the blond inquires, stepping forward.   
“i don’t mean to be ill-mannered, but never have i heard of a boy nymph before now.”  
the nymph’s hand goes to the back of his neck in bashfulness.  
“neither had the others. the other nymphs, i mean, along with the satyr.”  
mark’s head spins. a nymph! so the gods were real!   
“what are you called?” mark timidly inquires.   
the nymph chews his bottom lip.   
“haechan. I am called haechan. and you?”   
mark swallows to soothe his suddenly dry throat.   
“i am lee minhyung, known as mark,” he says with a tremor in his voice. “i have pleaded with the gods day and night for nearly two cycles of the moon that we could meet again.” mark drops his sack, steps forward, and takes haechan’s left hand gently between both of his, imploring with his eyes.   
“please,” he continues, “tell me how I can find you again.”  
haechan swallows loudly.


	2. honeybee, tell me your troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mark meets with ten and haechan is confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> turn up !!!! this is a mess !!! all feedback welcome and appreciated

haechan dips a toe into the brook, feeling the cool of the water course through his veins. a breeze whistles through the trees and blows his bangs away from his forehead. he closes his eyes and feels the golden sunlight on his face, trying in vain to clear his mind.   
why did this human trouble him so? he was not the first to be infatuated with haechan. through the decades many men and women had sought after the blond nymph, lust clouding their minds, driving them to seek him every waking hour of the day. what made mark different? perhaps it was the look in his eyes.   
no matter how haechan searched, he could find no trace of lust in mark’s eyes. no desires of the flesh mottled his grey irises. his eyes were pure, clear as crystal, and it baffled haechan so. no mortal had ever looked at him that way.   
a bumblebee buzzes by haechan’s ear and comes to rest on his shoulder. haechan feels the fuzz of the insect’s thorax tickle his bare skin and he offers his finger to it. the bug gingerly crawls onto the tip of the nymph’s pinky and haechan raises it to his face, observing how the creature walks, the pollen stuck to it’s tiny hairs, the way its delicate wings hang in the air.   
“honeybee, tell me your troubles,” he says jokingly. when the bee does not answer, he continues, “surely there is another bee you have your eye on. do not be a fool, those kinds of things are not worth your time! your purpose is elsewhere.”   
haechan sighs.  
to himself, he whispers, “i’d give anything to be like you, honeybee. such a simple life is rare.”   
and with that, he gives a gentle puff, and the honeybee hums away.

-

mark visits the marketplace that afternoon. he sees ten at the end of the row of stalls and weaves through the throng of shoppers to meet him. ten’s black hair swishes in the thick air as he waves handmade jewelry around, hoping a gracious patrician will take pity on him and purchase the lot. perhaps he wore a one-shouldered chiton today to persuade an old and wealthy man to take him home. mark chuckles at the thought, not that it is so outlandish; it had happened a few times before.  
mark rests his hand on ten’s shoulder, causing him to jump. his tanned skin glistens with sweat and his lips curl upwards when he sees mark.   
“how’s business?” mark asks warmly. ten is one of his oldest friends.   
“no one is buying today!” ten says exaggeratedly, swearing in his native tongue. “i think i’ll go into pottery.”  
this causes mark to laugh.  
“maybe if you’ll lose the exomis they’ll be interested,” he banters, pushing the garment off of ten’s shoulder. ten shrieks and quickly pulls it back up from where it fell to his waist, cursing mark all the while. mark’s loud guffawing causes some to stare.   
“ten,” mark says once the blush is gone from ten’s cheeks. “join me for dinner tonight. something very strange has happened, and i can no longer keep it to myself.”  
ten cocks his head, something he has done since they were small.   
“you don’t have to ask me twice. so long as there is wine i will join you.”   
mark hits him on the bicep and laughter racks their bodies once again.   
“i’ll see you tonight,” mark says in parting, tossing a drachma ten’s way. he catches it in one hand and waves, and mark goes home.

\- 

the sky is tinged pink when ten arrives at mark’s home. he finds mark sitting cross legged on the grass outside, chewing a piece of bread and looking at the forest below.   
“eating before dinner?” ten pokes. “i thought your manners were better.”  
mark twists to see ten and swipes at his tanned legs, a half-embarrassed smile on his face.   
“you took too long, and my stomach was empty. what kept you, an old aristocrat take you home?”   
this earns a push from ten as he bends down to sit beside mark, smoothing his himation under him.  
they settle into a comfortable silence as the sun sinks below the horizon, the cool of twilight seeping through the linen of their clothes. pink turns to purple which then turns to black, revealing the heavens as the moon rises behind them. pinpricks of light shine brilliantly against the inky black night sky.   
ten exhales loudly and speaks, “you didn’t prepare dinner, did you?”  
mark stares at his lap and chuckles. “no,” he replies. “but there is plenty of wine, should you want it.”  
ten smiles at him. he knows something is weighing heavily on mark’s mind, from the faraway look in his eyes to the stillness of his fingers, which would usually be plucking blades of poa from the earth.  
mark clears his throat, as if sensing ten’s curiosity. he inhales and knits his eyebrows.  
“ten, i met someone.”  
ten’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, and he holds his tongue so mark can continue.  
“ten, do you believe in the gods?”  
this startles ten. sure, mark had conformed to the local religion, setting up a shrine in his house, presenting offerings to the gods at festivals, but ten knew he was never truly religious.  
“you know what i believe, mark,” he replies seriously. more silence ensues. ten rests his hand on mark’s knee.  
“do not take me for a fool, ten,” mark utters.  
“you know i would never. mark, why the insecurity?”  
“this is absurd. let’s just go inside, ten, forget i said anything.” mark stands and dusts the dirt and grass from his clothes.  
ten grabs him by the wrist and stands to face him. the older boy gives him a worried look.   
“won’t you trust me? after the years we’ve spent together, is my word not enough?”  
mark sighs stiffly and runs a hand through his hair.   
“i’m sorry, ten. you’re like a brother to me, it’s just-” he licks his lips. “i don’t know how to handle things like this.”  
ten nods in understanding. “then take it slowly,” he says gently. “no need to rush.”  
mark recounts the story of that day, the first time he saw haechan. with astounding ease, he says aloud the narration he put together in his mind, recounting every detail. then he relives the second time, leaving out the embarrassing bit where he shouted into the empty forest out of frustration. by the time he starts to tell about the third time, ten is awestruck. mark even tells ten of the laurel of flowers that sat atop haechan’s head and the way his stomach leapt to his throat.  
when his mind returns to the hilltop with ten, he gulps loudly, fearing what ten will think- what ten will think of him.   
he breathes in through his nostrils the cool night air. “i know how it sounds,” he says timidly. to his surprise, ten rests a hand on his shoulder and beams at him.  
“well,” he starts. “when will you meet him again?”  
“you believe me then?” he remarks, relief flooding his body.   
“why shouldn’t i, mark? you’ve never been one to make up stories. i would like to meet him though. he must be as beautiful as aphrodite, the way you describe him,” ten teases. mark brings his hands to his face to hide his embarrassment.  
ten claps him on the back. “now, how about we go inside? you look cold.”  
mark smirks. “speak truthfully, ten.”  
ten giggles. “as you wish. let’s go inside and drink athens dry.”  
ten swings an arm around mark’s shoulder, and they head towards mark’s house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please tell me what you think! i have some more already written, but feedback will determine whether or not i finish this... thank you so much for reading! i appreciate you <3

**Author's Note:**

> pls leave feedback, positive and negative!! thank u for reading, i appreciate u <3


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